Paint can attachment



Jan. 9, 1962 D. KIRSHENBAUM PAINT CAN ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. a, 1958 IN VEN TOR. Jam lflrsfimbaum 3,016,169 PAINT CAN ATTACHMENT David Kirshenbaurn, 315 Pocasset Ave., Cranston, RI. Filed Feb. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 712,792

4 Claims. (Cl. 222--192) vision of a paint can attachment which will provide ready means for suspending a paint brush in association with the paint can, thereby rendering it unnecessary to lay the brush across the can, as is the common practice.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a paint can attachment which will enable paint brushes and the like to be positioned for ready use and which at the same t me will maintain the paint brush so as to keep the handle thereof clean and free from paint.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a paint can attachment which will aid in the pouring of paint from the can.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a paint can attachment having means for scraping excess paint from the brush, whereby it is not necessary to scrape the brush against the inside of the can rim, as is the usual custom.

An additional object of the present .invention is the provision of a paint can attachment which will function to maintain the rim of the. paint can free from paint whereby the can'top may be tightly and eifectively positioned on the can to at all times provide a tight seal, thereby preventing deterioration of the unused paint in the can. 7

Still another object of my invention is the provision of an attachment of the character described which may be readily mounted on a paint can in detachable fashion which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which is highly eifective in use. 7

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

I FIG. 1 is a plan view of my paint can attachment per se; 3

FIG. 2 is a section taken on'line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the-instant attachment secured to a paint can after the top of the latter-has been removed, and with the paint brush in suspended position, ready for use; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view illustrating use of the instant attachment with a covered paint can.

It has been found desirable to provide an attachment which may be detachably mounted to a paint can or the like for facilitating use and maintenance of the paint brush. More specifically, when the cover of a paint can has been removed and the paint is being used, positioning of the paint brush during a temporary cessation of the painting operation has long been a problem. Thus, when a person, for one reason or another, is forced to momentarily interrupt a painting operation, it is'more nited States Patent 0 3,016,169 Patented Jan. 9, 1962 or less customary to lay the paint brush across the top of the open paint can. This has numerous disadvantages, some of which are the fact that the outermost extremity of the brush will often drop down the outside of the paint can or sometimes directly onto the surface on which the can is supported. Also, when positioned in this manner, the handle of the paint brush frequently becomes paint laden, which in turn makes it diflicult for the painter to dip the brush without becoming excessively dirty. Still another factor is that the upper rim of the can becomes clogged with paint thereby making it difficult to properly and effectively reposition the can cover. This is important since, if the can cover cannot be repositioned so as to provide a tight seal, the paint remaining in the can is likely to deteriorate and become spoiled.

As an alternative to laying the paintbrush across the can top, the brush is sometimes laid on a piece of paper or the like, but this has also proven to be unsatisfactory in that when the paint dries the brush is apt to stick to the paper," making it diflicult to remove it therefrom. Still another possibility is to position the brush in a separate can, either empty or filled with turpentine or the like, which can may be provided specially for this purpose. This, however, is disadvantageous in that it necessitates the presence of an extra can, which is not always available, and as one moves about while painting, it is inconvenient to have to carry about a second I receptacle or container in addition to the paint can.

The instant invention overcomes the foregoing problems and disadvantages by providing a unique and in genious attachment which may be readily and detachably associated with the conventional paint can. The attachment is provided with a permanent magnet, said magnet being so disposed as to enable the metallic portion of a conventional paint brush to be removably secured thereagain'st whereby the brush is suspended over the open can so that any drippings will simply go back into the can. At the same time, the handle of the brush remains completely clean and is readily accessible for grasping and removal from its magnetic support when it is desired to resume the painting operation.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the attachment, shown generally at 10, comprises a ring-like member 12, preferably constructed of molded plastic. An integral pouring spout 14 is provided in the member 12 and oppositely disposed therefrom is an outwardly extending tab 16 having an aperture 18 therein for suspensionof the attachment on a hook or the like when notinuse. I As will be seen most clearly in FIGS. 2, and 3, the ring-like'mcmber 12 is of relatively substantial thickness, and at its inner marginaledge is provided with a depending fiang'e 20. ,Still referring to FIG. 2, it will be noted that an annular groove 22 is provided on the under surface of the member 12, for reasons hereinafter to be made apparent. A pair'of QPPositely disposed, depending lugs 24 extend integrally from ring member 12 as shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The lugs 24 function as means for aiding in the detachable mounting of the attachment to a paint can, all in a manner to be more clearly described hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, it will be noted that the ring member 12 is provided with a recessed portion 26 displaced from pouring spout 14 at an angle ofapproximately". Within the recess 26 there is positioned a permanent magnet 28, said magnet being secured to the ring member by any desirable means, such as screw 39. In order to strengthen the ring member 12 at this point, a reinforcing strip 32 is provided on the under surface thereof for receiving the screw 34 as shown most clearly in FIG. 2, it being understood that strip 32 extends for only a short distance, its only function being to receive the threaded shank of screw 39. Actually. it will be obvious that magnet 28 could be cemented within recess 26, in which case the strip 32 need not be provided, or, in the alternative, if therecess 26 were made of less depth so that sufiicient material remained for securely receiving the screw 30, then once again the strip 32 could be eliminated. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 4, magnet 28 fits snugly within recess 26, and the ring member 12 is arcuately built up as at 32 on opposite sides of the said recess so as to provide a continuous flush surface with the upper level of the said magnet. In addition, it is important to note that the inner edge 34 of magnet 28 is positioned inwardly of the ring member 12 whereas the outer edge 36 of said magnet is outwardly spaced from the ring outer edge.

Oppositely'disposed from magnet 28 there is provided an integral scraping bar 38, said bar extending across the ring member 12 but being of considerably lesser length than the inner diameter of said ring. Also, as will be seen most clearly in FIG. 4, bar 38 is positioned adjacent the lower surface of the said ring member.

In operation and use, the attachment is removably positioned on the upper end of a conventional paint can 40, it being understood that the cover of the can is first removed. More specifically, flange is adapted to extend inwardly of the upper rim of the can 40, while lugs 24 resiliently engage the outer edge of the can upper bead 42. Due to the relative resilience of lugs 24 and the rounded contour of head 42, it will be understood that the attachment may be easily forced down onto the can upper end to assume the position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, but at the same time, the attachment may be readily removed from the can whenever desirable simply by exerting a slight upward pressure on the attachment relative to the can. In addition, it will be noted that once the attachment is mounted as illustrated in FIG. 4, the magnetic attraction between magnet 28 and metallic can 40 will serve to aid in removably maintaining the attachment in its assembled position, even though this magnetic attraction is somewhat lessened by the presence of reinforcing strip 32 illustrated inrmy disclosed embodiment.

Should it ever become desirable to pour paint from thecan 40 intoanother receptacle or container, spout 14 will greatly facilitate this operation.

If during the painting operation it becomes necessary for the painter to stop for awhile, or if a short rest is desired, the brush 44 may be readily and simply suspended within can 40 by engaging metallic portion 46 of the brush with the magnet 28, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Once so engaged, the magnetic attraction which exists will main tain the brush in suspended position as shown, whereupon drippings therefrom will simply drop back into the can. The fact that magnet 28 extends inwardly of ring member IZinsures thatthe brush, when suspended, will be spaced from the-ring per se, and hence there will be little likelihood of the latter ever inadvertently coming into contact with the brush bristles. When it is desired to resume the painting operation, the brush 44 is readily available for grasping whereupon it may be pulled away from magnet 28, dipped into the can, and the painting resumed.

Referring now to FIG. 5, it has been found that my attachment may be utilized with a clean brush and a covered can of paint for providing a highly convenient assembly. Thus, when cover 48 is in position on the can 40, my attachment 10 may be inverted and placed thereon whereupon the exposed surface of magnet 28 will be in engagement with metallic cover 48, hence releasably maintaining the attachment in said inverted position. In this position, the metallic portion 46 of brush 44 may be engaged against outer edge 36 of magnet 28 to maintain the brush suspended as depicted in FIG. 5. In some cases, it has been found that it is not even necessary to invert the attachment 10 when placing it on a covered paint can, but rather it is frequently possible for the attachment to be resiliently engaged on the can top, even when covered, by means of resilient lugs 24, as afore described. In such an arrangement, the magnet 28 will still function to maintain brush 44 suspended outwardly of the can, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Thus, it will be seen that the instant attachment is a relatively simple and easy-to-manufacture device and one which may be readily mounted on a conventional paint can. Once so mounted, it protects the upper rim, of the can from becoming clogged with paint, a highly important feature, since this insures that the can cover can always be remounted to provide an eifective seal. At the same time, the can does not become besmirched by paint drippingson the outside surface thereof, which drippings obviously make the can difiicult and messy to handle and transport about. The magnetic insert utilized provides a highly ingenious structure for releasably maintaining the paint brush in suspended position during intervals in the painting operation, the paint brush being suspended in such a way that its drippings go back into the can.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for paint cans and the like comprising a ring-like member having means for detachably securing said member to the upper extremity of an opentop can, and magnetic means secured to said member, said magnetic means having a portion extending radially inwardly of the inner edge of said member and a portion extending radially outwardly from the outer edge thereof, each of said portions possessing magnetic characteristics whereby a brush may be vertically suspended either internally or exteriorly of the can.

2. The attachment of claim 1 further characterized in that said detachable securing means comprises a pair of spaced lugs depending from the outer periphery of said ring-like member.

3. The attachment of claim 1 further characterized in that said ring-like member has an outwardly extending pouring spout and a scraping bar extending thereacross.

4. In combination, a paint can having a bottom and side walls and an open top, means for vertically suspending a paint brush in spaced relation to the side of the can, said means comprising a ring-like attachment detachably mounted at the upper extremity of said container side wall and surrounding said open top, and magnetic means carried by said attachment and having portions extending tics whereby said brush may be vertically suspended 2,414,653

either internally or externally of the can. 2,420,487

References Cited in the file of this patent 2,530 099 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,642,999

1,598,524 Holdsworth Aug. 31,1926 2574-391 1,698,403 Harris Jan. 8, 1929 2789614 1,979,241 Albanese et a1 Nov. 6, 1934 2,192,569 Williams Mar. 5, 1940 2,270,331 Noble Jan. 20, 1942 10 755,351

6 Lookhoider Jan. 21, 1947 Long May 13, 1947 Rosenthal Feb. 24, 1948 Jaeger Dec. 25, 1951 McPherson June 23, 1953 Davis Apr. 6, 1954 Giusto Mar. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 22, 1956 

